The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-12-30
FIRE ON COMMERCIAL WHARF.
Cushing & McKenney's store Entire
y Burned Out.
Sargent. Lord & skiIIln Among Those
Who Are Losers.
The Destruction OF the Entire Wharf
Imminent at One Time.

Atabout quarter to two this morning. Ed
ward Kent, the PREss and Argus telegraph
messenger, saw the light Of big fire against
the buildings at the foot Of Moulton street.
Mr.. Kent Immediately procured a key and
sent in an alarm from Box 4S, the blaze being
on Commercial wharf The department
promptly responded. and found the building
occupied by Cushing & McKenney, dealers
in groceries and ship stores entirely In
flames, the walls being already burned
through and the FIRE burning fercely in three
stories.
Above Cushing & McKenney was the store
Of Walter Freeman, fish dealer, and above
Freeman, the establishment Of Sargent. Lord
Il Skillin. In the brick building next above
is the fish store Of George Trefethen.
Below Cushing & McKenney are the places
Of w. T. Studley, E. G. Willard, j. w. Tre-
fethen and George Loyett, all dealers In
fish. n. f. Trefethen's hsh store opposise
Cushing & McKenney's, was burning when
the fremen arrived. but the flames there
were quickly extinguished.
Almost as soon as the first engine arrived,
the second alarm was ringing and 1t was fol-
lowed by the call for the fire boat and the
hose carriage at the West End, the entire de-
partment soon being at work. The flames,
gaining steadily, broke the roof OF Cushing
& McKenney's store, and Immediately after
a blaze shot up through a skylight In Sar-
gent, Lord & Skillins's place, while the long
wooden building was enveloped in the smoke
which poured from the windows. At half
past two, the FIRE was burning fercely In the
Cushing e. McKenney place. Illuminating
the water front of the city and sending
showers Of sparks into the air which hoated
of down across the wharves TO the eastward.
Fortunately no large vessels were In the
dock and the schooner and two small fishing
vessels there did not appear in danger.
Mr.. MeKenney said that his building was
full Of stock and placed its value at $500,
on which there was an insurance OF $1,000 IN
the agency OF w. ID. Little. The portion OF
the wharf occupied by Cushing d McKenney
is owned by G. p. Ingraham. The building
is valued at $4,000 and insured in Boston.
Mr.. Sargent said the value Of his tirin's
stock would reach $4,000, and was insured
for $4,000.
f. p. Sawyer owned their part Of the
wharf and the building, which was worth
5000 and was insured for $1,000. The re-
mainder of the wharf Is owned largely In
Boston.
AT THREE O'CLOCK,
the fire presented different aspect and
| the danger Of wide spread conhagration
was averted BY some remarkably good and
| creditable work, the fremen had arrested
the flames before they had done any very ex-
| tensiye damage outside Of the building where
they originated. The walls Of this structure
were still standing but so weakened and
burned that they will probably have to DO
torn down. The damage to Mr.. Freeman's
| store was not learned but 1t did not appear
to be great. In Sargent, Lord & Skillin's
| place, the damage by fire was confined 10
| the upper story, but torrent OF water was
| streaming down through the lower hall
of the building. How extensive the
| damage caused by the flooding will
prove to be, could not then be estimated,
but it will probably be quite heavy. The
| entire loss may be placed at $4,000, although
| when an examination Of the premises Is
made this may prove rather large. The
| Willis heirs owned the property occupied
| by Mr.. Freeman. Lewis Pierce, ESQ.,, Is the
agent, and the property is probably insured.
Cushing Il MeKenney have some insurance
| with Morse q Pinkham and some with John
| Z. Dow.
The loss, with the exception Of what little
| was czrsed by the small fire on the western
side Of the wharf. was eeDfned to the block
composed Of the buildings occupfeel-Ry ~ tne
three firms which are losers. The wharf IL
self, as the tide was very nearly high.
escaped injury.
| Nothing was removed from the store Of
| Cushing & McKenney. When the first
comers reached the spot 1t was impossible
to enter the building and the cause Of the
| fire is therefore unknown. Had the blaze
occurred the night before 1t would have un-
dOnbtedly got beyond control and inflicted
heavy loss to large portion Of the city.